Experience as a guide to geotechnical practice in Winnipeg
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Date
2014-09-02
Authors
Skaftfeld, Ken
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Abstract
The products of our engineering works are everywhere and the safety and satisfactory performance of these works is the result of the deliberate inclusion of experience based judgement. The starting point for many of these works is the recognition of what has been done in the past, both successfully and unsuccessfully. Often however, a geotechnical engineer must rely on theory and to some degree, experimentation, in particular when advancing new methods of design and construction. This can be daunting when one considers that the natural materials we work with are highly complex with large variability and in some cases, uncertainty in their properties and behaviour. Analysis and decision making based on these properties includes a mix of theoretical and empirical techniques, requiring significant engineering judgement.
The experience gained and lessons learned by geotechnical practitioners in the early 1900s are as valuable today as they were at that time and this becomes the hypothesis upon which the Author has prepared this document. It is often that a problem encountered today, was encountered and very likely solved in the past and that its resolution at that time can be applied (at least in principle) to modern practice. Little in engineering happens by chance and many failures are the result of a poor decision based on poor information, an underestimation of natural forces and laws of physics, or perhaps, the overestimation of one’s experience and ability. Successes on the other hand are often a culmination of supplementing intuition with experienced based judgement. Once one understands and appreciates the importance of taking advantage of the past experience of others and using this experience as a guide forward, then improved judgement and capacity for professional practice will result.
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Keywords
experience, judgement, advice